former republican senator john danforth, a force in the st. louis community, said he would rather write in a candidate than support akin. >> i can understand their position. i mean, it's like counting apples. you know, they're saying, "well, we need 50 or 51 in the senate and he's one person who's competing for a seat." but i see him as the apple that spoils the barrel. i mean, that's the way i look at akin. i think that he really hurts the republican brand and he damages the party nationally, and that it's very important for republicans to say no. >> ifill: akin says he'll settle for support from republicans out of state, including former presidential candidates mike huckabee, rick santorum, and newt gingrich, and even pat boone. all that has left both mccaskill and akin fighting for the middle, with mccaskill condemning akin as extreme. >> he believes that a rape victim should not be able to get emergency contraception. that's a fundamental core belief he has. he believes that the federal government should not tell employers that they are li